The Qalandariyya (), is a sufi spiritual order associated with the Qalandar, a title used in Islamic mysticism. Emerging in the medieval Islamic world, the Qalandariyya became associated with a small number of prominent mystics and ascetics across different historical periods, including Rabia al-Basri, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Bu Ali Shah Qalandar, and more recent Qalandar Baba Auliya, whose influence extended across Persia, Central Asia, and South Asia.
Several later spiritual movements and Sufi schools trace inspiration or lineage to the Qalandari tradition. Among these is the Azeemia order, founded in the 20th century by Qalandar Baba Awliya.
Some Sufi traditions associate the early spiritual foundations of the Qalandariyya silsila with the Egyptian mystic Dhu al-Nun al-Misri.
According to secondary sources,
In the early 12th century the movement gained popularity in Greater Khorasan and neighbouring regions, including South Asia.
The Qalandariyya may have arisen from the earlier Malamatiyya, The Malamatiyya condemned the use of drugs and dressed only in blankets or in hip-length hairshirts.
Qalandari songs in Pakistan typically incorporate Qawwali styles as well as different local folk styles, such as Bhangra and intense Naqareh or Dhol drumming.
See also
- Azeemiyya
- Suhrawardiyya
- Chishtiyya
- Mawlawiyya
- Rifa'iyya
- Qadiriyya
- Bektashiyya
- Naqshbandiyya
- Zahediyya
- Khalwatiyya
- Bayramiyya
- Safaviyya
Bibliography
- De Bruijn, The Qalandariyya in Persian Mystical Poetry from Sana'i, in The Heritage of Sufism, 2003.
- Ashk Dahlén, The Holy Fool in Medieval Islam: The Qalandariyya of Fakhr al-din Araqi, Orientalia Suecana, vol.52, 2004.